Food and water are two precious ingredients necessary to sustain life. You would think that the importance of having a safe food supply would be a paramount concern of our government. Congress recently boasted that they had passed a food safety bill, which in reality was a farce and a joke on their constituents, we the consumers. Our government has chosen to ignore the real concerns about food safety, such as the filthy unsanitary factory farms, feeding slaughterhouse waste and antibiotics to cattle and GMOs (genetically modified ingredients), which have been saturating our food supply; and instead expending their effort raiding Amish farmers who are selling healthy raw milk and in California, concerning themselves with PTA bake sales.

Not only have the FDA and USDA been infiltrated by persons who represent corporate interests of companies such as Monsanto, the very companies they should be regulating; but talk about the fox guarding the hen house, now the USDA has the audacity to say that when Monsanto or other producers of GMOs plan to introduce a new product they will simply be asked to state that it is “safe”. No safety testing is required.

In spite of numerous findings that reveal the dangers of GMOs, the FDA still stubbornly clings to its criteria that “they are equivalent to conventional foods.” Some GM crops include genes extracted from a soil bacteria Bt to make them resistant to insect attacks. Recent studies have added still more concerns about the safety of GM crops, as a study by Canadian scientists has reported the presence of Bt toxin in human blood. [1]The toxin has also been detected in fetal blood, implying that it can be passed to the next generation. Cottonseed oil is made from GM cotton, which means that the Bt toxin may have already entered the food chain. Added to these health concerns is the insult, that as residents of a country that prides itself on its freedoms, this serious health concern is largely kept from the public. Why has not the media championed this cause? Why do we seldom see articles about the concerns of GMOs in our newspapers or on TV? Why is our media almost dead silent about these concerns to the point that they seem unwilling to bring these potential dangers before the public?

If we are to be able to select safe healthy foods in the market; foods containing GMOsmustbe labeled!!! This past week I saw fresh corn at several markets, each with a sign reading “Fresh Corn”. At Shop Rite, a sign read “American grown fresh corn”. When I asked if it was GMOs free, I got the reply, “What are they?” When I asked the question at Whole Foods I was simply told that it was “local grown”. Since when is Jersey corn ripe by the middle of May? Unless the store is willing to make a definite statement that their corn is GMO free, we have to assume that it is not. Put your food store manager on the spot and ask him “Which of your products have GMOs?” Tell him that it is important for you to know, if you are going to shop at his market.